Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas

Supporting the Jefferson Center

The Jefferson Center relies entirely on the generosity of departments to provide faculty to teach our courses and on the generosity of donors to support our postdoctoral fellows program, lecture series, book club, discussion sections for lecture courses, and the Jefferson Scholars program. Most of our staffing and other operating expenses are covered by donations as well. We welcome gifts both to cover current year expenses and to build an endowment, including four proposed endowed postdoctoral teaching fellowships. We are also interested in increasing teaching and research opportunities for graduate students who are writing dissertations on the great books and who will ultimately be prepared take the serious, interdisciplinary teaching of the great books to other colleges and universities.

Targeted Donations

The Jefferson Center welcomes targeted donations. Here are some examples of what your donations can achieve:

$250 provides a book prize for one Jefferson Scholar.

$1500 provides a discussion section for a large great books lecture course that would otherwise have only a grader.

$2000 provides a course development grant to revise an existing great books course to focus on ethics and leadership.

$2000 funds one Jefferson Scholar for the entire six-course program, allowing the student to study the great books mainly in small seminar courses.

$10,000 pays a lecturer or retired faculty member to teach a great books course.

$50,000 supports a post-doctoral fellow for a year to teach two courses and revise a dissertation on the great books for publication.

$1,200,000 endows a post-doctoral fellowship.

Contact Information

If you would like to make a donation to support our program, we encourage you to talk with co-director, Thomas Pangle, who may be reached at tpangle@austin.utexas.edu.

To make a pledge, or to find out about available tax incentives for both planned giving and outright gifts, please contact:

Kathleen Aronson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations
College of Liberal Arts
The University of Texas
1 University Station, G-6300
Austin, Texas 78712mcaronson@austin.utexas.edu
(512) 475-9763